This invention relates generally to protective devices for vending machines to protect against damage to the vulnerable parts of the machine resulting from liquid introduced into the machine and particularly to the provision of a reservoir installed above the vulnerable parts and a drainage system to direct liquid away from such parts.
The problem of vandalizing vending machines by introducing liquid, particularly salt water, into a machine by way of the coin accepting chute or bill validator entryway is a serious one. Such liquid not only tends to cause the electronic parts of the machine to malfunction short circuiting but also causes corrosion of sensitive parts. Thus, not only can the machine be robbed of its merchandise and cash as a result of precipitated discharge but, in addition, the destruction requires expensive replacement and repair of parts.
Several attempts to solve this problem have been made but the resulting systems tend to be expensive because they involve significant changes to the vending machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,306,644 discloses a coin chute having means for diverting the liquid by providing vertical, spaced apart rib members providing a drainage grid which intercepts and deflects the liquid while supporting the face of the coins passing over them. Unfortunately, the ribs are space-consuming and represent a major modification. U.S. Pat. No. 4,346,798 discloses a liquid diverting coin hopper employing a somewhat similar principle in that the coin chute includes a perforated support surface receiving the flat surface of the coins but passing liquid into a hopper with a drainage tube. Again, the modifications are substantial and space-consuming. U.S. Pat. No. 5,027,937 discloses a liquid diverting coin chute which replaces the regular coin inlet chute of a vending machine by a housing having a perforated screen wall which divides the coin chute into two passages, one leading to a liquid catchment area and the other to the coin changer. This solution requires the replacement of the vending machine coin chute.
The present invention avoids these disadvantages and provides a solution to the problem of diverting liquid in a manner neither revealed nor suggested in the known prior art.